To the reader forum:
The closure of Cockayne Ski Resort hit me hard. My skiing journey began a long time ago when Southwestern High School offered skiing in lieu of winter gym class (which consisted of indoor soccer, volleyball, and dance). The hills beyond the football field were set up for us, and an after-school learn-to-ski program offered by Eagle Ridge Ski Resort in Westfield provided more instruction and practice.
Cockayne opened the year I graduated and was a favorite place to ski and for some of us to work. Although I went to college and then was sent to the West Coast by the Marines, I never stopped skiing, and his wife and sons also became skiers/boarders.
Cockayne Ski Resort is named after a rich and legendary land where life is less harsh, full of comfort and fun. Perhaps this tempted fate. The iconic Austrian lodge was destroyed by fire in 2011, and the resort closed and remained dormant until 2019, when the current building was constructed, the Post-Journal reported. During that time, I returned home with my family and was happy to have the opportunity to share this special place with them. Cockayne is a typical family resort where many of us learned the fun skill of getting up after a fall. And what a perfect place it turned out to be for the old man!
As you know, the reopening of the resort has created an opportunity to reinvent the Cockayne Ski Patrol, a necessary function of the resort’s operations. Over the next four years, a well-managed program of recruitment and training resulted in a highly skilled ski patrol force. The training is rigorous and the efforts are serious. A lot has happened this year, and our oversight has saved lives. I couldn’t be more proud to wear the red jacket.
This well-organized unit received the 2023-24 National Ski Patrol Eastern Division Best Small Alpine Patrol Award. As a result, we are now a nominee for America’s Best Small Patrol Award.
Cockayne’s ski patrol once dispersed to other area slopes after a fire in 2011, but then, like the Blues Brothers, they reassembled in time for its 2019 reopening. On the day we hear the call, we will do it again.
barry harris
bemus point